© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
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7<br />
Corrosion Testing —<br />
Background and<br />
Theoretical<br />
Considerations<br />
The previous chapter described the aging process of an organic coating, which leads<br />
to coating failure. The major factors that cause aging and degradation of organic<br />
coatings are UV radiation, moisture, heat, and chemical damage. Unfortunately for<br />
coating formulators, buyers, and researchers, aging and breakdown of a good coating<br />
on a well-prepared substrate takes several years to happen in the field. Knowledge<br />
about the suitability of a particular coating is, of course, required on a much shorter<br />
time span (usually “right now”); decisions about reformulating, recommending,<br />
purchasing, or applying a paint can often wait for a number of weeks or even a few<br />
months while test data is collected. Years, however, are out of the question. This<br />
explains the need for accelerated testing methods. The purpose of accelerated testing<br />
is to duplicate in the laboratory, as closely as possible, the aging of a coating in<br />
outdoor environments — but in a much shorter time.<br />
This chapter considers testing the corrosion-protection ability of coatings used<br />
in atmospheric exposure. The term ‘‘atmospheric exposure” is understood to include<br />
both inland and coastal climates, with atmospheres ranging from industrial to rural.<br />
Tests used for underwater or offshore applications are not within the scope of this<br />
chapter. A very brief explanation of some commonly used terms in corrosion testing<br />
of coatings is provided at the end of this chapter.<br />
7.1 THE GOAL OF ACCELERATED TESTING<br />
The goal of testing the corrosion-protection ability of a coating is really to answer<br />
two separate questions:<br />
1. Can the coating provide adequate corrosion protection?<br />
2. Will the coating continue to provide corrosion protection over a long<br />
period?<br />
The first question is simple: Is the coating any good at preventing corrosion?<br />
Does it have the barrier properties, or the inhibitive pigments, or the sacrificial<br />
pigments to ensure that the underlying metal does not corrode? The second question<br />
is how will the coating hold up over time? Will it rapidly degrade and become<br />
useless? Or will it show resistance to the aging processes and provide corrosion<br />
protection for many years?<br />
<strong>©</strong> <strong>2006</strong> <strong>by</strong> <strong>Taylor</strong> & <strong>Francis</strong> <strong>Group</strong>, <strong>LLC</strong><br />
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